1:30 AM and it sounds like a freight train is in our RV! Both Anne and I bolt out of bed. What the heck is happening!? I quickly deduce it’s coming from the RVs gas furnace. Great 🙁 Our heater is busted. Last summer I had removed it to take a look at its inner workings and clean it out, so luckily knew precisely how to pull it out. It was a cold night, so I decided to investigate immediately.
I had a sneaking suspicion it may be a mouse caught up in the squirrel cage fan. We had just left Joshua Tree National Park where we had a few late night scurrying visitors to the rig. I had set traps but came up empty. Sure enough, once I got the furnace out of its enclosure, there it was, our suicidal rodent wedged in the fan blades. RIP.
Thankfully the fan didn’t chew him up too badly, and I was able to get most of him out easily. Outside the next day, I doused the furnaces fan areas with water and bleach mixture and blew it out with compressed air. I repeated the procedure several times until the furnace innards were completely clean and sterilized of the mouse debris.
We were also fortunate the mouse didn’t make it past the fan and into the RVs internal heat ducts. It looks like he gained entry through the 2-inch pipe that goes into the fifth wheels underbelly area to keep the tanks and plumbing warm. When I reinstalled the furnace, I modded the ducts end piece by adding a small screen.
Another mod I made was to lengthen the furnace wiring and add a plug. The OEM install had extremely short wires and no plug, making removal a pain. For the plug, I used a standard four-pin trailer connector. Happily, the furnace was not damaged and is back working keeping us warm once again.
Video Footage of Mouse in Furnace, Clean up and Mods
See Tips on Keeping Mice Out of the RV
